37+ Free Communication Plan Templates

A communication plan is a tool used in the processes of project management. There are a variety of communication plans that can be applicable for many different purposes in order to achieve the implementation of an approach or an action that is policy-driven and development-oriented. Communication plan is commonly used to provide the details of a project or a program to specific stakeholders either of an organization or a business.

You may select a sample from our list of free communication plan templates if there is a need for you to create a communication plan for the particular purpose that the management of the company where you are working at would like to achieve.

Corporate Communication Business Plan

Corporate Communication Plan Sample

How Is a Communication Plan Essential?

Communication plans are commonly used by businesses to ensure that they can properly provide the needed information to the audience to whom the curated information is for. A communication plan is important for the following processes:

Communication plans work well in terms of sending out the details of marketing projects to the entities who are involved in these projects execution. The marketing department of a company uses a communication plan so the work flow involved in the planning, creation, and implementation of marketing programs will be easily identified and sustained. An integrated marketing communication plan can provide the benefits on working with different marketing channels, mediums and platforms an easy task to deal with.

Human resources also use a communication plan so they can properly address issues that involve the work force of a business and the processes that it executes on a daily operational basis. A communication plan used in this manner can adhere certain problems and inquiries in a professional manner by allowing the proper exchange of information from specified entities. Some human resource communication plans are used in the concerns of employees and some of these documents are created to assure that the management of the business can properly execute their corporate plans.

Companies can also benefit from using communication plans in relevance to their branding and public relations management. Through the proper flow of communication from a business to its clients, suppliers, and other stakeholders; the details will be filtered out properly depending on how the company can benefit from the particular transaction.

A communication plan can also be used in disseminating information for a special project that needs to be done by the business. A project communication plan lays all the details the the project team, the clients of the business and the entity that funded the project should be aware of respectively. Various businesses have different projects to look after, which is why it is important that the project should be properly specified and planned even before creating a project communication plan.

There are still a lot of ways on how a communication plan can be used. Again, each communication plan are different based on the entity whom the information is for and the kind of information that an entity is currently dealing with. The proper approach in communicating with the stakeholders of a business can create better results in terms of building professional and lasting relationships.

Project Charter Communication Plan

Construction Project Communication Plan

Steps in Creating an Effective and Efficient Communication Plan

Just like in using a strategic plan, a communication plan’s effectiveness and efficiency can only be known once it has already been implemented and the results can show a positive interaction and other information exchanges from the entities involved in a particular business transaction.

The steps that you may follow in creating a communication plan that works are these items:

Before anything else, you need to be precise with your reason on why there is a need for a specific corporate communication. you need to make sure that you are aware of the purpose of the communication plan and how it can benefit the people that you want to communicate with. You need to have a vision of the result that you want to get so you can be properly guided with the implementation of the communication plan.

List down the people who you want to talk to and have a professional conversation with. You must create an accurate listing of the people to whom the communication plan is for. This will help you to identify their needs, the things that they expect to know, and the items that you can share in a manner that is beneficial not only to them but also to the business. As an example, you can create an internal communication plan if you just interact with the people who are within the operations of the business.

Before sending out the information that you would like to relay, you first need to know the stand of your audience with this matter. A communication plan’s benefits can only be maximized if you can smoothly tell an information that will not offend nor malign your prospective audience. There are different ways on how you can have an idea of what your audience thinks about a particular item of discussion. You can do a quantitative research or even a one-on-one or group interview.

As specified above, you need to have a vision of what you want to achieve. In relation to this, you must define the entire existence of the communication plan. Make sure that you are already familiar with your audience and the things that they want to be knowledgeable of.

Be aware of the timing when you will already execute the communication plan. You need to consider all the entities involved in the transaction and the appropriateness of your timing to the relevance of the issue in the workplace or in any vicinity where the involved entities interact with each other.

Communication Plan Executive Summary

Communication Improvement Plan

Important Variables in a Communication Plan

A communication plan is a list of action plans that must be comprehensive to assure its full implementation. Th important variables that you need to consider in creating a communication plan include the following:

The people involved in the transaction or your target audience who will benefit from the communication plan

The message that you would like to deliver and would want your target audience to accept and understand

The proper delivery of your communication plan including the timing of the communication plan implementation and the way that the message will be relayed

The output that you would like to achieve in using a communication plan

The procedures on how you can properly implement the communication plan to assure that it will serve its purpose of creation

The entities who will be tasked to execute the communication plan from its creation to its full implementation

Suggestions in Creating a Communication Plan

A communication plan can do wonders in the interaction of the entities involved in a project if the person who will create this document will take his/her time to create a well-curated, usable and informational document. Some suggestions that you may follow in making a communication plan include these items:

Make sure that your communication plan can be applied in a variety of communication mediums which include written, spoken, electronic, and digital interaction.

You can use an implementation plan so that the execution of your communication plan will be guided accordingly.

Develop a communication plan based on an audit or research that you will conduct with the people that are involved in the transaction in which the communication plan will be used.

Each potential audience or stakeholders have different information needs. You need cover those needs for the entities involved in the transaction to fully have a grip of the items that they would like to understand. However, there are some communication plans that are appropriate for a group or a specific minority. Hence, you need to have a clear idea of when to use a communication plan for an individual or for a group of people.

Describe all the items that are involved in the platform that you would like to create. You need to make sure that the communication plan that you will create will address all the things that are needed to be discussed in a particular time period with specific involvement of different entities.

Be specific with your source of information. Assure that your communication plan is backed up with details that are real, quantifiable and applicable to be used in the transaction where the communication plan is beneficial.

Properly brainstorm with all the members of the team who are expected to create the communication plan. It is very important for everyone involved in the creation of this document to be aware of the process’ development.

If you would like to, you can incorporate your communication plan in the creation of your business plan so you can easily discuss it to the people involved in the business that you want to create.

These guidelines does not assure the success of a communication plan as it depends on how you execute the content of the document. However, following these guidelines can help you to properly prepare a highly-usable communication plan that your business can benefit from.